High Stakes Poker: Action Continues as Shot Clock Is Introduced

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In all the seasons of High Stakes Poker we’ve seen, players were given as much time as they needed to make a decision. There was no time limit and no pressure.

That changed on the latest episode of HSP, as the shot clock was introduced for the first time in the long history of the popular show.

This wasn’t something the producers planned for, either.

At one point, Garret Adelstein mentioned how he was used to playing with a shot clock on live streams. Doyle thought it would be a good idea to do it for High Stakes Poker, too.

And, some moments later, the shot clock made an appearance.

The rules were simple. All players had 30 seconds to make a decision, with six 60-second extensions they could use at any point.

Other than this novelty, we’ve seen some changes in the lineup, too.

Garret Adelstein, a star of Hustler Live and Live at the Bike streams, joined the fray, together with Krish Menon, another stream regular.

Jennifer Tilly was another familiar face in the crowd. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jen in action, so this was a real treat for poker fans.

Xuan Liu, a poker player and presenter, made her very first appearance on High Stakes Poker, and she made it very clear she was there to play right from the get-go.

Can you tell how elated I was just to be there with Jen? https://t.co/y01iG8jcgG

— Xuan Liu (@xxl23) March 14, 2022

The slot-streaming king Kim Hultman came back as well, while the final three seats were filled up by three legends: Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, and Doyle Brunson.

Xuan Liu Goes for It Against Antonius

The latest episode of High Stakes Poker did not lack action. On the very first hand, Xuan Liu made it very clear she came to play, running a bluff against Antonius.

Liu 3-bet Garret’s open holding K♠J♠ and picked up the Finn, who woke up with pocket treys in the big blind.

Player images courtesy of PokerGO

Garret got out of the way, and the two saw the flop of 8♦7♥2♣. Liu started with a small continuation bet of $3,000, and Patrik called, bringing the pot to just over $15,000.

The action checked through on the 5♣ turn, leading to Q♠ on the river.

When Antonius checked for one last time, Liu decided this card was a good bluff candidate. She fired a $20,000 overbet, forcing the Finn to lay down what was the best hand.

Jen Tilly Peels One Off on the Flop

Jennifer Tilly has never been what you’d describe as a tight player. Her latest appearance only confirmed that some things never change.

Tom Dwan opened the action with pocket kings and picked up Krish with A♦9♠ and Jen with pocket sixes.

When the flop came Q♦10♥2♦, Tom fired out a fairly big c-bet of $3,000 into a $4,200 pot, which would usually be the end of the action. Surprisingly, though, both players decided to peel another card.

That turned out a great decision for Tilly, as the dealer revealed an inconspicuous 6♠.

Not suspecting anything, Dwan bet again, this time for $10,000. Having made her hand, Tilly decided to play it sneakily and just called on the turn.

The two saw the 9♥ river heads up, and Dwan decided to fire for one more time, making it $24,500 to go. After a short deliberation, Jen sprung her trap and raised it up to $75K!

Eventually, ‘durrrr’ made the right decision and let his cowboys go, sending a nice pot Jen’s way.

Garret Gets Sticky vs. Patrik

Garret Adelstein is one of the biggest names in poker these days. However, even he admitted that playing with the legends like Doyle on High Stakes Poker was something he couldn’t have imagined a few years back.

That said, Garret is not the man to shy away from the action, and he made that very clear in a big hand against Patrik Antonius.

The action started with the Finn raising 9♠7♠, making it $1,200 to go. Garret woke up with a monster in the small blind, looking down at A♦K♥ and 3-bet to $6,000.

The Finn clearly wasn’t in a folding mood, though. When the action got back to him, Patrik pulled a 4-bet to $16,000. Garret decided to take a lower variance route and just called.

The dealer produced the flop of Q♣9♥4♥, giving Patrik a lead in the hand. Although the flop didn’t help Adelstein, he decided to stand his ground, check-calling the $14,000 bet.

The 2♦ on the turn was pretty much the definition of a blank. Garret checked once again, and once again, the Finn reached for the chips and fired out for $25,000.

Unconvinced Patrik had a big hand, Garret called again, bringing the pot to $110,000.

The river came in the form of 10♥, bringing in the obvious flush draw. Adelstein checked again, and Patrik pulled out big guns, firing out an $80K wager.

At this point, the Finn was probably thinking he was bluffing, while Garret sat there, contemplating a call with just ace-high.

Eventually, though, he decided to let his hand go, saving quite a few chips doing so. Had he called, it would be interesting to see the expression on Antonius’ face after realizing his measly pair of nines was actually the best hand.

The Ladies Going at It

The last hand of the night saw the only two ladies at the table get involved in a big pot. The hand started with Liu opening to $2,500 in a straddled pot, holding A♦Q♥ and Tilly defending from the small blind with K♥J♥.

The flop was a good one for Liu, as it came A♥Q♠6♠, giving her top two pair. The first three cards helped Tilly as well, though, giving her a gutshot straight draw.

So, not surprisingly, she check-called Liu’s $3,500 bet.

The turn brought 6♦, bringing no help for Jen’s actual hand but giving her some inspiration. She checked to Xuan Liu once again, but once Liu bet $10,000, Tilly raised it up to $30,000, representing a six in her hand.

With the top two pair, Liu decided to call and see the river. This probably wasn’t what Tilly was hoping for, but she still had a few outs to help her catch up on the final card.

Did she get there in the end, or did she miss and decided to go for a big bluff? To find out, check out the video above for the conclusion to this exciting hand!